Comments

I read that New Yorker article in the print version, and also thought it excellent. Please also read this lengthy New Yorker article about the thoughtful, intelligent Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. He's the kind of Republican I used to think McCain was before this campaign led him down the primrose path of Evangelical pandering. Hagel is totally a Republican I could vote for.

Here's a nice quote from Hagel on Sarah Palin and America's penchant for anti-intellectualism in general:

“There’s no question, she knows her market,” Hagel said. “She knows her audience, and she’s going right after them. And I’ll tell you why that’s dangerous. It’s dangerous because you don’t want to define down the standards in any institution, ever, in life. You want to always strive to define standards up. If you start defining standards down—‘Well, I don’t have a big education, I don’t have experience’—yes, there’s a point to be made that not all the smartest people come out of Yale or Harvard. But to intentionally define down in some kind of wild populism, that those things don’t count in a complicated, dangerous world—that’s dangerous in itself.

This article made clear to me that McCain had an opportunity in this election to lead the Republican party in a smart, fresh direction, one that stayed true to its pro-business/small government core values and steered clear of all this biblical crap. Instead, he kept it lashed to the ignorant redneck portion of Bush's electoral base. He completely muffed it.

But, you're right, Jason. I did read that article about Chuck Hagel, and felt the same way about it you did. I really think that the Republican party is going to need to do a little soul-searching if they want to continue to have a relevant message for voters once the baby boomers are no longer the largest voting demographic, because their unholy blend of christianism and capitalism isn't going to sell with the next generation. And, at this point, I don't even know what their message even is -- it's disorganized and demonstrably ineffectual, and has nothing whatsoever to do with conservatism.